Exclusive: Royal Albert Hall in talks to run the Coliseum

Exclusive: Royal Albert Hall in talks to run the Coliseum

Opera

norman lebrecht

November 10, 2022

We have received a Whitehall leak about secret talks being held between the Department of Digital Culture Media and Sport about the future of the Coliseum theatre after the eeparture of English National Opera.

The plan is for the RAH not to own the Coli but to manage it. The Coli will be a subsidiary venue where it can transfer successful shows.

Nothing has yet been agreed and the plan is being delayed by a change of management at RAH, but it’s a sign the Goverment is concerned that the Coli might be shuttered – and that won’t look good in any light.

The Arts Council, by the way, have no role in these talks.

 

 

Comments

  • Wahlberliner says:

    I wonder if they’ll keep the ENO 2004 safety curtain as a homage to the failed regime, like opera houses in Eastern Europe still have socialist mosaics.

  • Anthony Sayer says:

    That’s a pretty good scoop.

  • Anon says:

    ACE must be involved, even if keeping their name out of it. Either that, or the order to move ENO came from DCMS directly, which seems unlikely. How else would RAH and DCMS know there was a Coliseum becoming available to talk about?

  • Malatesta says:

    Actually it sounds a really interesting idea as it would allow the RAH to maybe programme a Cirque du Soleil season, some star led events of all kinds as well as maintaining seasons with ENB and inviting Opera North and Glyndebourne Touring Opera to perform there. The possibilities are endless. Meanwhile ENO could benefit from the rental income as they pitch their tent “up north”.

  • Kenneth Griffin says:

    “…secret talks between DDCMS about…”

    Between DDCMS and whom?

    The owner, ENO?

    The prospective manager, RAH?

    The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan?

    Or is the other party or parties to these secret talks top secret?

  • Tomasso Walter says:

    Will the RAH do this before or after they’ve paid off their £30m deficit…?

  • Opera42 says:

    This is a brilliant idea.

  • georgelobley@gmail.com says:

    The ENO hasn’t agreed to go yet

  • Operacentric says:

    What on earth has the DCMS to do with this? Ought it not to be brokered by ACE? The whole enacting principle of the Arts Council is that it is supposed to operate at arm’s length and free of government interference. What would the DCMS know about running a theatre or whether ENO should exist or not?

  • Lance Williams says:

    Couldn’t be further from the truth, coming from actual sources from within RAH. This is fake news, and clearly the writer’s authenticity (or the lack thereof) can be shown by his unique use of the word “eeparture”.

  • Player says:

    Well, the RAH know a bit more about how to fill huge venues – as the Coli is.

    My idea would be to keep the Coli reserved to ENO to do short runs of big, popular shows like Wagner and Verdi (not necessarily in English) – while the rest (G&S etc) can be done from smaller venues, in and out of London.

    Surely ENO will effectively be Opera South, not Opera North?

  • Mark Raymond says:

    The rumour in the West End for years since 2014 is that Disney want the theatre to use for their biggest shows. The capacity it the biggest in the West End and ALW and CM and Nederlander don’t like renting to Disney because it tends to make it hard to run other events. Frozen at Drury Lane hasn’t sold well in the week with the balcony closed and luckily ALW has put in one nighters to fill early week. I can only imagine the RAH story is a smokescreen which won’t work at all in order for Disney to save the day. Totally stinks. ENO must be saved. The theatre has had millions of opera lovers pounds poured into making it lovely. It was a tip before ! Why should Disney profit like this ?

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